


Regrets

by letterink



Series: Maternal Instinct [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Canon Compliant, Family Issues, Introspection, M/M, Mother and Son, Other, Pining, Time Skips, i have many feelings for this season, s6
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-25 02:04:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14966774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letterink/pseuds/letterink
Summary: “Lance, was it?” Keith made no response to her rhetorical question but she does see how his posture stiffen, sees his grip on the control slacken for a mere second.“The blue paladin who’s piloting your former lion. You’ve mentioned him before, along with the others.” His grip on the controls visibly tightens.“What about him?”





	Regrets

 

Krolia watches, from afar.

She watches because she hadn’t gotten the chance to ever since she chose to leave earth. She watches, because that’s the least she could do to make up for the absence that’s left a void to her only son’s life.

Her sweet, sweet boy whom was barely a child when she decided to leave for earth and return to space in order to protect him. Yorak— no.

Keith, her dearest  _Keith_ , born out of nothing but love, the very same love that created him, the same love she felt so greatly for the human who saved her life, who changed her life, her beloved son, now a fully grown—man fighting the war she’s fought all her life, stronger than she ever could possibly have.

So Krolia watches him, watches him grow in a nearer distance to make up for the lost time and gained, to be worthy enough to be called a mother to the son who didn’t even knew her name.

 

* * *

 

“I don’t have time for this, Lance.”

Her ears flick towards the sharpened edge of her son’s voice, one hand gently guiding down Romelle, the other helping her regain a steady balance. They stand at the farther side of the pod, lurking in silence till Keith relays the information acquired to his former teammates.

She eyes them one by one and recognizes them by description.

“Hey, everybody. Keith’s back!”

She watches their interaction unfold.

 

* * *

 

Time spent at the quantum abyss was a blessing in disguise. It was two years in earth time, outside the abyss, perhaps much shorter but Krolia wouldn’t have it any other way. Turns out getting to know Keith was easier than she had thought. The boy was more than ready to open his heart to her.

All the pain he had bottled up throughout his teens without a mother, seeing his father buried 6 feet beneath (it hurt, it hurt more than anything), shoved from home to home, all the anger and self—hate; it didn’t take long for Krolia’s eyes to water and give his son the tightest embrace she could muster, eighteen years of it.

Keith returns the embrace, shedding a few tears of his own.

(It was easy because it was as if seeing herself in the mirror, aside from its reflection.)

 

* * *

 

“Lance, was it?”

It was after the battle with Lotor when they reunited, after the castle—ship had turned into a diamond. She and their pet wolf rode inside the black lion.

Keith’s bruises didn’t go unnoticed but there’s this fire in his eyes that made Krolia’s chest swell with pride. She turns to the unconscious shell of a man that helped shape Keith to become the brave leader she sees now. Hours had passed by as they tried to find a planet to land on to explain to his fellow companions about Takashi Shirogane’s underlying condition.

This was when Krolia knew it was the perfect opportunity to ask his son, alone, about her recent observations. Keith made no response to her rhetorical question but she does see how his posture stiffen, sees his grip on the control slacken for a mere second. She imagines his face contort in confusion. She purses her lip at the imagery.

“The blue paladin who’s piloting your former lion. You’ve mentioned him before, along with the others.” His grip on the controls visibly tightens.

“What about him?”

“He seemed to be rather enthusiastic at your arrival. More so than the others. His eyes lit up whenever near your presence.” Silence. It was Krolia’s cue to continue.

“It’s just.” She shrugs, crossing her arms. “I recall you saying you two weren’t friends. That he dislikes you. The kind of expressions he made isn’t one of dislike, Keith. Far from it actually.”

Tension unclogs from Keith’s shoulders as he leans forward, chest heaving down a sigh and releases his hold of the controls, leaving the lion to run on autopilot. Krolia gives him all the time he needs. So she waits, patiently, until Keith decides to open his mouth to finally speak.

“We used to argue a lot back then.” He said. “Lance and I. So I’ve found it difficult to know whether he considers us friends or if he was simply tolerating my existence. Sometimes—” He pauses, two ticks, Krolia counted. “Sometimes we’d get along. Sometimes we’d spew insults back and forth. He just  _knew_  where to push the wrong buttons. Shiro had to always come in between to stop us from arguing. Apparently we’ve met back at the Garrison but I didn’t remember at first. He called me out for that and kept making fun of my hair nonstop.” Keith runs his hands through his long, unkempt dark locks. “Kept calling it a mullet every chance he got. It was getting excessive.” Keith meets his gaze halfway through with this deadpanned look. “I told you that part.”

She raises an eyebrow. “So you’re saying he annoys you?”  _Is that all there is?_

“What I’m saying is that he and I are teammates. Just like the others. As long as we’re a team, he’ll always have my back. That’s all that matters.”

“You sound uncertain. Do you doubt him?”

“No. Never. I trust him.” There was no hesitance in his reply. Krolia wonders why she’s not surprised.

“When I was chosen to pilot the black lion, he became my right—hand, looked out for me whenever I got too impulsive and pushed the team too hard. He became my voice of reason. Shiro was gone for the second time and it messed me up. I wasn’t cut out to be a leader like he said I would and Lance said so himself.” Keith props his back against his seat and faces to a direction where her line of sight cannot reach. “But he supported me, despite our differences. We argued still but it was fun. I liked making fun of him too to be honest.” Krolia doesn’t miss the pinkish stain blooming on his cheek when Keith pointedly looks away, as if it rather pains him to admit what he just said yet barely concealed the curving of his lip. “So, yeah. I trust him.”

For a fraction of second, she sees it again, back at the abyss, hears the fondness at the tip of his tongue once first time Keith slipped his name in a conversation and disappears the next second just as fast.

His boy is very fond of this Lance, and is repressing himself of that fact.

_“We’re at war. And I can’t afford to have another weakness.”_ Keith didn’t need to verbalize to make Krolia understand what he meant.

“Your father was my weakness.” She said. “Once, I made a promise to myself that I’d swore to protect him if harm ever comes our way. And then he held my hand and said he’d do exactly the same.”

_To think I’d fall in love with him more than I already do._

“He was also the greatest source of my strength. One of the reasons why I stayed many months with him in that little shack of his than I should’ve. Things I’d give to relive those moments.”

_Leaving both of you was the most painful decision I’ve ever made._

“Well, you still have me. If that’s alright with you.”  _Am I enough for you?_

“Keith.” Krolia faces him, eye to eye without a blink to separate them and said the words she’s been longing to say all her life. “You’re my son. I love you.”

_You’re more than enough and deserve so much more the universe can provide._

The smile Keith sent her way didn't quite reach his eyes but it's alright. This'll take time. Keith can take all the time he needs. Krolia's not leaving. Not this time.

"I love you too, mom."

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticisms are much appreciated.


End file.
